Duluth Airplane manufacturer Cirrus Design has been sold to a Mideast-based investment bank. Company officials say the sale of controlling interest gives Cirrus the cash it needs to retire debt, and to ramp up production of it's two popular models of aircraft. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports: (Stockholders approved the sale Tuesday, giving fifty-six percent of Cirrus Design to Crescent Capital, an American subsidiary of the First Islamic bank of Bahrain. Cirrus Design is a privately held aircraft manufacturer, which produces two composite-bodied four passenger airplanes. Each airplane comes equipped with a full parachute, intended to bring the aircraft down safely in an emergency. But Cirrus is a young company that's been suffering growing pains ... struggling to pay off start up debt while investing in production improvements and research and development. The pains were evident in February when Cirrus laid off twenty percent of its work force - One hundred thirty seven employees.